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The Beginning of After - Jennifer Castle I usually don’t like not finishing a book. In this case however, I approve myself that it’s fine. I had many issues with this book from the 100 or so pages I had read, which then I couldn’t go on any further wasting my time on it.The Beginning of After from what I’ve read is about Laurel whose parents and brother die in a car accident and then. . .life goes on as it usually does. That’s all I had come out from the hundred pages I had read. Let’s get this straight! If your family is killed and your still alive, wouldn’t you go into some state of shock, depression or other emotional turmoil or grief because of it? Alas! Laurel is in the middle of taking her SATs so she is free of those pressures on her educational life and . . .Oh yes! Her social life too. Yes everyone around her, friends, teachers, etc. felt sorry for her, but I don’t think she felt sorry for herself. That’s not the right way to say it; There was no genuine depth to her emotions. She wanted to sit her SATs because. . .it was the reason why she wasn’t with her family and they weren’t still alive. Yeah. Pity in its lowest forms.I believe Jennifer Castle had a good prose, and may have executed it more effectively in a story that didn’t ‘begin’ because of a death of one’s family. I don’t think her writing was best suited for this theme. There was nothing entirely touching or thought-provoking about it and as I said, there was no real emotion coming out of those words and as a consequence, from the characters; from Laurel. It’s a real shame. At times, I too became confused. The transitioning between scenes was washy, and the flash-backs and reflections held really no significance to what if I were in the position, of what I would’ve remembered about my father, my mother, and brother. It would’ve been characteristics and what I’ll miss about them, not tell a story about them and their jobs etc. It just wasn’t executed well enough to be read any further. I hate myself for thinking like this, but hey, I was given this for an honest review in return and I’m giving it.Wouldn’t you be so unstable after a tragic accident such as that and deny going out anywhere, and most definitely not attend a prom! You have to keep living despite whatever setbacks are inflicted upon you as our dear old favourite philosopher Socrates says, but seriously, nothing felt truthful or real in this book. Laurel may have moved on and got with the boy and went to the prom and all this other fluffy stuff that teenagers do etc., but she moved on awfully fast. Hence, no emotional depth.I’ll leave it at that so I don’t ramble on for any longer on a book I had not finished, and a book I did not enjoy.